


A New Beginning?

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Second Series [1]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-17
Updated: 2006-12-17
Packaged: 2019-07-03 17:46:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 13,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15823866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Takes place shortly after the Book of Omens. The ThunderCats face new and old foes in the fight for New Thundera and Third Earth.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun rose over the crust of New Thundera and it's rays wound their way around until they found Lion-O's window. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Another beautiful day dawned and he knew that this would be a new beginning for everyone.

The Caverns of Cold had been returned to their once lush gardens and the Baleful Swamp became the clear lake it used be. The Mountains of the Moon were now calm and the ruins of the old signal tower stood tall. Last but not least, the Iron Forest was now stripped of its metal and regular trees flourished.

Lion-O got up and went into the bathroom. A quick shower and then off to the control room to get his weekly report from Third Earth. It was his hope to bring Tygra and Pumyra back to New Thundera soon, so that all the ThunderCats could enjoy their home.

Fifteen minutes later, the Lord of the ThunderCats walked into the control room and found Panthro, Cheetara, Snarf, and Snarfer already at their stations.

"Good morning Lion-O. Looks like another beautiful day." The cheetah commented.

"Yes, it does. Where are Ben-Gali, Lynx-O, and the ThunderKittens?" Lion-O wondered.

"Ben-Gali and Lynx-O are down at the Homing Beacon. As for the ThunderKittens they're off using their Space Boards. I figured a little relaxation would be good for them." Panthro explained.

"Good, now I guess I'd better make me weekly video call to Third Earth." The lion said.

"All right." Panthro quickly poked the proper buttons and called over the system.

"This is Panthro on New Thundera calling Cat's Lair on Third Earth. Come in Third Earth." The picture on the screen went black and white lines crossed it but nothing came up.

"I say again, New Thundera to Cat's Lair on Third Earth. Come in Cat's Lair." Despite the attempt, the puma's face never appeared on the screen.

"Call Tygra. Maybe the Lair's system is down." Lion-O instructed. Cheetara left her seat and stood next to the lion as Panthro nodded and tried to call the Tower of Omens.

"This is Panthro on New Thundera calling the Tower of Omens on Third Earth. Come in Third Earth." Again the screen in front of the group went black and white lines crossed it. Lion-O was starting to get nervous but he didn't let it show as the panther tried for a second time.

"I say again, New Thundera to the Tower of Omens on Third Earth. Come in Tower of Omens." The ThunderCats watched as nothing happened.

"Cheetara, get on the intercommunication link and call the ThunderKittens back to the Lair. Panthro try to bring up the Homing Beacon and alert Lynx-O and Ben-Gali of the situation." Lion-O's mind shifted into alert mode. At that moment, a growl came from the Sword of Omens. He pulled the Sword from the Claw Shield on his hip and raised it to his face.

"Danger! Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight." The Eye of Thundera glowed and the Sword's hilt shifted to allow its master to see what he needed.

A picture of Third Earth unfolded before him. The Tower of Omens appeared to be empty and quickly the Sword moved to Cat's Lair and showed him why. Cat's Lair was under attack from some creatures that Lion-O didn't recognize. Pumyra and Tygra were trying their best to fend off the beasts from inside the Lair but it appeared to be a losing battle. A spaceship bombarded the Lair with its laser cannons and Tygra tried to fire back as Pumyra was trying to raise New Thundera. Lowering the Sword, Lion-O told the others what he saw.

"We have to load the Feliner and get over there immediately. Tygra and Pumyra can't hold out for very long. Snarf and Snarfer stay here and make sure the ThunderKittens help you." He said. Snarf nodded.

"Let's go." Panthro said.

"Be careful Lion-O." Snarf called as they left the control room.

"Don't worry Uncle. They'll take care of the bad guys, no sweat." Snarfer said.

"I hope you're right, snarf, snarf." The older of the two said.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

"MUMM-RA! MUMM-RA!" The Ancient Spirits of evil called their slave from his sarcophagus.

"Yes, oh evil ancient ones. What is it that you require?" The mummy asked as he stepped out of the safety of his coffin.

"You disobeyed us Mumm-Ra. You went into the Book of Omens and lost to Lion-O; for that you must pay. However, you have yet another golden opportunity to crush the ThunderCats. Look into the cauldron." The Ancient Spirits of Evil directed his attention to the boiling water and the mummy watched the scene unfold.

"While Lion-O, Panthro, and Cheetara are trying to save Third Earth, you will take New Thundera from out from under them." They commanded.

"Yes, ancient ones. Whatever you want." Mumm-Ra bowed his head.

"Should you fail this time, we will destroy you and bring a new champion forth to defeat the ThunderCats." The Ancient Spirits warned him. With the ultimatum delivered, the giant statures zapped Mumm-Ra so he could become the ever-living source of evil he was meant to be and the mummy flew out of his onyx pyramid.


	2. Chapter 2

WilyKit and WilyKat manned the controls at Cat's Lair and kept an eye on the Feliner. Suddenly warning bells went off, signaling trouble.

"What's going on?" Snarf asked. WilyKit quickly shifted the big monitor to the approaching threat.

"It's Mumm-Ra!" She shouted, suddenly unsure of what to do.

"Battle stations!" WilyKat's shouting quickly pulled her back to reality. Snarfer hopped into the chair at the smaller control.

"The laser cannons will be ready in less than a minute." He said.

"I'm not sure we have that long." WilyKit told them. Something in the back of her head told her that if they couldn't defend their home, they would be done for.

Outside the Lair, Mumm-Ra flew towards the ThunderCats' stronghold as fast as he could. With only the ThunderKittens and the two Snarves holding it down they would be easy pickings. He could easily gain control of New Thundera, get back into the good graces with the Ancient Spirits, and defeat the ThunderCats once and for all. Raising his hands, he shot energy blasts at Cat's Lair.

"Return fire!" WilyKat ordered. Snarfer fired the laser cannons. Unfortunately, Mumm-Ra easily avoided the beam and fired directly at the cannons.

From inside the Lair, Snarfer was thrown back off the controls as the wiring exploded. WilyKit quickly helped the younger snarf up off the floor.

"We've lost the left cannon. Snarf use the right one." WilyKat ordered. Snarf fired at the mummy but it was no use. Again the cannon was easily destroyed.

"Now what?" WilyKat asked.

"We can't fight him by ourselves." Her brother said.

"We have to try." She said.

"Prepare to fight."

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Pumyra fired the ballista as Tygra worked with the lasers in the Cat's Eyes. Their shots hit the intended targets but the alien ships refused to fall.

"What are those things made of?" The puma clenched her teeth and again tried to raise New Thundera over the radio. When she got nothing but static she knew that they were still on their own. Suddenly, Cat's Lair shook and Pumyra was thrown to the ground.

"Rowr!" She growled in pain. Carefully she stood up and moved back to the controls. Her left arm hung limply at her side and she forced herself to keep tears from surfacing. She pressed the button to fire the ballista again but this time nothing happened. Quickly she grabbed her radio and called out to Tygra.

"The ballista is loaded but it failed to fire. You have to get out of there now!" There was no response from the orange tiger and she knew that she had to find him and the two had to get out. Pumyra ran for the stairs and headed up to the Cat's Head.

When she arrived she found Tygra still trying to fire the lasers. Quickly she grabbed him and pulled him away.

"The ballista failed to fire we have to get out of here!" She shouted above the noise of the battle.

"Let's go!" Tygra shouted back and the two quickly started to head out of the Cat's Head but before they got too far there was a massive explosion.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

The Eye of Thundera growled signaling danger to its master. With one deft move, Lion-O retrieved the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield on his hip and commanded it to show him what was happening. The picture before him looked grim. The ThunderKittens were trying to keep Mumm-Ra back but they weren't succeeding. Suddenly the Eye shifted its focus onto Third Earth. What he saw made him cringe.

"We have to hurry to Third Earth. Cat's Lair has been destroyed and I can't see Pumyra and Tygra." Lion-O told the others.

"Why can't you see Pumyra?" Ben-Gali radioed nervously from the back compartment.

"I don't know but there is more bad news. Mumm-Ra is attacking Cat's Lair back on New Thundera." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"We can't turn back now." Panthro shook his head.

"It seems we are between a rock and a hard place." Lynx-O radioed from his seat in the back of the Feliner.

"I have an idea." Cheetara started. Her comrades turned and waited for her to continue.

"Can we radio the settlement and have the recruits help the ThunderKittens until we get back?" The cheetah asked.

"They aren't fully trained and I don't like sending them in like that." Lion-O said.

"Cheetara has a point though. They could help keep Mumm-Ra back and maybe give the ThunderKittens enough time until we can get back to New Thundera." Panthro told the lion.

"Yes, I agree." Lynx-O radioed over.

"Then it's settled. Radio the settlement tell them of the ThunderKittens predicament and hope to Jaga we can defeat the strange enemy and get back fast enough." Lion-O said. Something in the back of his mind knew that it would physically impossible to move that fast unless Cheetara was running inside the Feliner's engines but they had to try.


	3. Chapter 3

Pumyra awoke to find her legs pinned underneath a large piece of equipment. She struggled to move and realized that she couldn't do it on her own.

"Tygra!" She called out to him hoping he'd respond.

"I'm over here. Are you ok?" The orange tiger called back from the other side of a large part of a wall that separated the two.

"I'm pinned beneath some machinery and I can't move!" Pumyra told him.

"I'll try to get over there and help you just hang on!" Tygra hoped he could get around the large piece of the wall. Luckily the fire from outside had stopped but that didn't mean whatever was in those spaceships wasn't starting their ground invasion. Looking around for a hole or gap to crawl through, the architect knew he had to be careful. At any time the weakened structure could collapse on top of them and then there would be no way out. Unfortunately being careful wasn't going to be easy with the cuts that were all over his body and the pain in his right side. The orange tiger could feel blood beginning to soak the side of his uniform but pulling the offending piece out could cause uncontrollable bleeding and that was something he didn't have time for.

"Tygra!" The puma's voice reached him again.

"I'm coming!" He called back to her.

"Get out of here! Forget me! If this thing collapses there is no way you can carry me out!" Tygra could hear her struggling to get the sentence out.

"I'm not going to do that! ThunderCats never leave their own behind!" The tiger became even more determined to get to Pumyra. There was silence from the female puma and that made him nervous.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

"How much longer until we get to Third Earth?" Lion-O asked.

"Unfortunately at least an hour." Panthro told him.

"That's not fast enough." The Lord of the ThunderCats replied.

"I've already put the boosters in full gear as well as the regular engines." The mechanic said.

"I know, it's not your fault, I just don't like this." Lion-O shook his head.

"Me neither but if we try to go any faster the engines will give out and there will be no one to help Pumyra and Tygra." Panthro said. The lion let out a sigh and nodded. Cheetara watched his expression in his reflection off the glass in front of her. Lion-O had matured since their arrival on Third Earth those few years ago. He had grown to become the leader, his father Claudus had wanted. Something inside her, sought to try to comfort him but the fact of the matter was there was work to be done and fellow ThunderCats to save. Later when the nightmare was over and everything was back to normal, maybe she could talk to him.

Lion-O looked up and caught Cheetara's eyes in the reflection. Quickly, she ducked back to work and focused on the monitors in front of her. A smile crossed his face for a moment and then he returned to thoughts of the trouble ahead. It was his fault that they had spread themselves so thin. Now everyone was in trouble and they could only hope that their plan would work.


	4. Chapter 4

Outside the ruins of Cat's Lair on Third Earth, three alien ships landed. A ramp came down from the almond shaped vehicle and an incredibly bright white light came out from the opening. The light reflected off the gleaming silver of the ship and it hid the occupants' descent until they were completely out of the ship.

Once out in the Third Earth sunshine the creatures looked at the damaged they had caused. Extending their fingers, they could feel their surroundings. They didn't need to touch to feel but rather to gather the information from the air and other surroundings. The long slender green fingers were covered in tiny hairs, as was they rest of their bodies, although if you were to look at them it would appear their skin shone under the sun as if they wore scales. Most of the aliens stood between five foot ten and six foot three on account of their long slender legs, meant for holding up their long slender bodies. Instead of talking aloud through the mouths that were only there expressly for eating, they spoke through their minds.

 _See if there are any survivors._  The leader, Qual, said to three of his men.

 _The structure seems very unstable, sir._  Came the reply from his second in command, Zen.

 _Then we must be quick about it._  Qual told him. Zen nodded and sent the three out to search for survivors.

Inside the ruins, Tygra finally found a way around to Pumyra. She was lying there in a lot of pain and the tiger thought how to get her out.

"I told you to go." The puma said.

"I can't do that. I'll get this thing off you and we'll get out of here together." Tygra told her.

"It's not worth it. If both of us die…" Pumyra stopped.

"Don't talk like that. We'll get out of here." The orange tiger said. Pumyra was about to say something else when she stopped. She had a strange look on her face and Tygra was getting nervous but then he realized that she was listening. He carefully listened as well.

"There is something coming. Get out of here while you still can." The puma whispered. Tygra was about to argue but instead he listened. If he didn't get out and find the others they wouldn't be able to save her. He nodded and quickly slipped through the opening, which he had come to find a way out.

 _There is heat being generated over there._ One of the aliens named Bol said.

 _Could be a fire._  A second alien named Cae told him.

 _No, it's a creature. Come on, Qual will want to see this._  The third, Sen, said and pressed his way through the rubble. Being so thin the creatures could slip through areas smaller than a ThunderCat could and they reached Pumyra without much difficulty.

"Who are you? What are you?" The puma asked the strange creatures advancing toward her. The beings didn't communicate to her and she wondered what they were going to do.

Tygra slipped out of the rubble and slunk into the trees. He was grateful for his bolo whip and being invisible because it seemed as though the strange creatures had not noticed him. The tiger's and their attention was diverted due to the sight of the Feliner coming in.

"Should I fire on them?" Panthro asked Lion-O. The Lord of the ThunderCats was about to answer that when Cheetara let go of the controls and put her hands over her ears. She screamed out in pain as the other ThunderCats could only watch in confusion.

"Land the Feliner!" Lion-O ordered. The panther did as fast as he could while the Lord of the ThunderCats tried to move Cheetara from her seat. Panthro successfully landed the Feliner and was about to help Lion-O with the cheetah when she realized her grip on her ears and stopped screaming.

"What's going on down there?" Ben-Gali radioed as he freed himself and Lynx-O from their seats.

"I have no idea." Panthro radioed back.

"I heard these strange voices in my head and they seemed to be shouting. They were talking about a strange cat-like creature which sounds like they captured either Pumyra or Tygra." Cheetara immediately explained.

"Let's go." Lion-O said as the group quickly disembarked from the Feliner.


	5. Chapter 5

Back on New Thundera, Mumm-Ra entered Cat's Lair and charged toward the control room. He would trap the ThunderKittens there and easily subdue them. However a surprise awaited him when the sliding doors flew open.

The control room appeared to be empty. In fact the only signs of anything happening was the crackling of the wiring from the broken control panels on the ThunderCats' equipment. The mummy was confused.

"Maybe this is going to be easier than I thought." Mumm-Ra said to himself.

"Guess again bone bag!" WilyKat appeared from behind one of the broken panels with a blaster pointed in the mummy's direction.

"You and what army?" Mumm-Ra laughed and let forth an energy blast from his hands. Kat quickly fired the blaster and singed the ever-living source of evil's bandages. Mumm-Ra snarled and fired back. Kat again dodged the shot and made his way toward the doors of the control room.

"You'll pay for that!" The mummy roared.

"No, I'm pretty sure you will." WilyKat smirked and the doors behind him opened. They revealed his sister, WilyKit, and at least fifty recruits.

"CHARGE!" Kit cried and the melee began. Mumm-Ra repelled flares from blasters, blows from staffs, and pellets from the ThunderKittens. The mummy was becoming exhausted and he knew that he couldn't hold out too much longer. Despite not having the other pesky ThunderCats there the Kittens had friends.

"FALL BACK!" Both Kittens shouted out and the recruits stopped fighting and quickly cleared a path. Mumm-Ra didn't wait to fond out what was going on and took the opportunity to fire extra energy blasts at the Thunderians. That's when the doors opened and a large ray gun was pushed through.

"FIRE!" Kit ordered. Snarfer pressed the buttons on the controls for the ray gun and the blue shot hit Mumm-Ra squarely on the chest.

"AGAIN!" Kat told the younger snarf. Another blast shot forth from the weapon but Mumm-Ra quickly brought his own firepower from his hands and combated the blue with his red blast. For a minute it seemed as though Snarfer was winning but soon it became obvious that the mummy was the mightier. The red energy blast soon pushed the blue back from whence it came and the ray gun jammed.

"HIT THE DECK, SNARFER, SNARFER!" Quickly everyone around got out of the way as the machine imploded. Mumm-Ra cackled.

"It's my turn!"

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

On Third Earth, Tygra slowly emerged from his hiding spot as he saw the creatures bringing Pumyra out of the remnants of Cat's Lair and decided that now it was time to make an appearance. The other ThunderCats saw what was happening and immediately charged toward the aliens. Lion-O pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield and held it above his head.

"Thunder…Thunder…Thunder…THUNDERCATS HOOOOO!" The Cat Signal roared into the sky and all the ThunderCats felt power surge through their bodies. They expected the aliens to try to attack but instead they didn't. They seemed more fascinated with the display before them. Lion-O was confused and wondered what to do when suddenly Cheetara screamed out,

"STOP!"


	6. Chapter 6

The Sword of Omens growled and the Cat Signal disappeared from the sky. Lion-O quickly brought the Sword up to his face and commanded it to let him see what the trouble was. The picture he got was one he did not wish to see. Cursing under his breath, the lion returned to the trouble at hand.

Cheetara held her hands over her ears and tried to comprehend the voices that spoke to her from inside her head. Lion-O looked at her nervously and the others wondered what was going on.

"We have to get Pumyra!" Ben-Gali's impatience grew.

"Steady, Ben-Gali." Panthro said.

"Go toward the one who raises his hands. He wishes to speak to us." Cheetara suddenly said flatly. Panthro gave Lion-O a questioning look.

"It could be a trap." The panther said.

"Then we must be on our guard." Lion-O told him quietly. Carefully the five ThunderCats walked toward a very tall alien that held his hands skyward.

"It appears that you cannot hear us and we apologize for using the female to convey our message." Cheetara said.

"We want our friend back." Lion-O told the alien as he pointed to Pumyra. The alien nodded and had his men bring the puma to them. Immediately, Ben-Gali sank to the ground to see how Pumyra was doing. From his standpoint, Tygra noticed that they were talking and he went as fast as he could to rejoin the group.

"My name is Qual. We are the Lockti. We mean you no harm." Again the cheetah spoke for the strange creatures.

"No harm? You destroyed our fortress and almost killed two of our friends." Lion-O challenged the leader of the Lockti. The ThunderCats watched in amazement as Qual extended his arms. He seemed to be feeling his surroundings.

"We were fired upon from your fortress and we simply fired back." The cheetah told them.

"You fired on them?" Lion-O asked Tygra.

"They were firing on the Lair when I got here." The orange tiger said.

"There was a malfunction and the Cat's Eyes went off. I was in the process of checking it out when we were fired upon." Pumyra interrupted from her position. Ben-Gali tried to keep her from speaking. Tygra carefully got down next to them to see how badly she was injured.

"It is my turn to apologize. There was a malfunction. We didn't mean to fire on you." Lion-O explained. Qual nodded and replied,

"You're sorry and I'm sorry. We must help you rebuild and tend to your wounded. I wish to shake your hand but I do not know your name."

"I am Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats. We greatly appreciate your offer." The lion said as he extended his paw. Qual took it and they shook. Then the Lockti leader turned to his men and told them something. Afterwards he turned back to the ThunderCats.

"I have my men starting to repair your fortress and a few will come and bring the equipment necessary to heal your friends. In the meantime, I wish to speak to you and explain why we are here."

"Excellent, thank you Qual." Lion-O smiled and watched as three of the Lockti carrying equipment reached the two wounded ThunderCats.

"Help Tygra first, he's bleeding." Pumyra said. The Lockti gave her a look and she pointed to the orange tiger. They nodded and moved to him first.

"No, she's in more pain." Tygra tried to get them to understand.

"I can't feel anything below my waist." Pumyra said. The orange tiger had no response as the Lockti scanned him over with their contraption. Ben-Gali looked at her with his eyes wide. The others also looked at her, not knowing what to say.

"She will be fine. Our technology can heal her." Qual reassured them. The ThunderCats watched as two of the Lockti placed a device around Tygra's wounded side. The machine whirred and hummed until something clunked inside it. Then the Lockti removed the machine and everyone looked at the tiger.

The wound in Tygra's side was completely gone. One of the Lockti opened up the device and pulled out what clunked. It was a piece of metal.

"Our extractor has the capability to pull out what is inside a wound and then seal the wound back up. The minor lacerations on his face will be taken care of in much the same way." Qual explained.

"Amazing." Lion-O said.

"How do you feel Tygra?" Panthro asked.

"Incredibly better." The tiger smiled.

"Keep me informed. Qual, I'm sorry but we need to return to New Thundera. I'm afraid more of our friends are in trouble. Panthro, Lynx-O, we must return. The ThunderKittens need our help." Lion-O said.

"We will help you with this trouble. I feel we owe you." Qual told him.

"You've helped us a lot already. Thank you." The lion said.

"Our ships are faster, please let us help you." Qual begged him. He then turned to his men and spoke to them.

"Twenty of my men can be spared and they are willing to help you in your quest to save those that you call the ThunderKittens. Bol, Cae, and Sen take the third ship. Go now before it is too late to help." The Lockti leader said. The men nodded and quickly rounded up the remaining number they needed.

"Thank you Qual." Lion-O again shook his hand.

"You're welcome. Take your female with you so you may be able to communicate with my men." The Lockti leader said. Cheetara seemed to come out of her trance and was quickly brought up to date as they boarded the strange ship.


	7. Chapter 7

On New Thundera, the ThunderKittens were wondering what to do next. Mumm-Ra had used his remaining strength to completely empty the power supply in Cat's Lair. They were now without defenses or anyway to control anything inside the entire Lair. Without the power to run things, doors would remain stuck in their positions and weapons would cease to function.

"We're stuck in here." WilyKit said.

"I know but there has to be something we can do." Her brother told her.

"Snarf and Snarfer are tending to the wounded recruits and the rest are trying to pry open the doors but what can we do?" Kit asked.

"Well there has to be another way out." Kat said.

"But we can't move some of the injured recruits. We need to get to the sick bay and get more supplies." His sister told him.

"Do you think we could use our exploding pellets?" Kat asked.

"And have more people get hurt? No way." Kit said.

"What are our other options?" Her brother wondered.

"Until we can think of something, I suggest we help out the others the best we can." She said. Kat nodded and the two moved back toward the group.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

"How much longer until we reach New Thundera?" Lion-O asked Cae.

"Approximately 40 blasknots." Cheetara told him.

"What?" The lion shook his head.

"Sounds like some sort of strange time measurements." Panthro said.

"It would be roughly 30 of your minutes." The cheetah informed them.

"Ah, that makes more sense." Lynx-O smiled.

"That's much faster than we could ever travel. What takes us six hours only takes them an hour. How do they do it?" Panthro asked.

"I don't know but I hope we can be in time to help the ThunderKittens and the recruits." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"I feel so foolish for leaving them alone down there." He continued.

"The immediate threat was to Third Earth. We had to go to Pumyra and Tygra because they were in danger. There was no other decision." Lynx-O said. Lion-O only made a tight smile and tried to realize that his friend was right.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

"MUMM-RA! MUMM-RA!" The Ancient Spirits of Evil called to him. The lid of the mummy's sarcophagus slid back and he walked forward.

"Yes, oh Ancient Evil Ones?" He asked.

"The ThunderCats are making their way back to New Thundera. They bring with them the Lockti. The Lockti are an alien civilization from a planet far far away. You must prevent the Lockti from giving the ThunderCats any of their technology. That technology will cause the balance of power to shift and we  ** _will not_**  be able to survive. You  ** _must_**  make the Lockti disappear." The Ancient Spirits told him.

"How can I get rid of these invaders?" Mumm-Ra asked.

"The Lockti keep a deep secret. They are severely affected by violent vibrations. They feel with the little hairs that cover their entire bodies; cause the earth to shake beneath their feet, bring large and damaging thunderstorms to the sky. They will flee the planet for their own safety and leave the ThunderCats to fight you in their own." The large animal statues told him. A smile crossed Mumm-Ra's face.

"I shall make them regret the day they were born!" He cackled.


	8. Chapter 8

"We'll be landing in five blasknots." Cheetara said.

"Translation please?" Lion-O asked.

"Roughly three and three-quarter minutes from what I can figure." Panthro told them.

"That is correct." The cheetah smiled.

"Nice work, Panthro." Lion-O said.

"It wasn't that hard. Do they have the exact coordinates to Cat's Lair?" The panther wondered.

"I gave them the right coordinates, Panthro. I even gave them the right frequency to try to contact the ThunderKittens but they haven't been able to get any response." Lynx-O told them.

"I don't like this." The Lord of the ThunderCats said. A silence settled between the ThunderCats. They all hoped that everyone was all right down on the planet.

"We're landing now at Cat's Lair. Sensors indicate there is outer damage to the fortress. Prepare to disembark." Cheetara interrupted the silence. The three male cats stood as the long silver ramp lowered from the Lockti's ship. Quickly, they disembarked and made their way to the large front door on Cat's Lair.

Once at the front door, Lion-O couldn't get the code to work. He poked the buttons on the keypad and nothing happened.

"They've lost power. We're going to have to force the door open." The lion said.

"Sounds like a job for brute strength. Think you can handle it?" Panthro smirked.

"If you can." Lion-O smiled. The two ThunderCats placed their fingers in the crack separating the two doors.

"On three. Ready?" The panther asked.

"Ready." Lion-O told him.

"One, two, three!" Panthro said. The two pulled and the doors slowly came apart. Cheetara watched as Lion-O's muscles bulged and rippled. She quickly shook the feeling away as he spoke to her.

"Cheetara, we need your bo-staff to keep the doors apart." Quickly, the cheetah grabbed her staff off her cuff and extended it. Jamming it in between the doors, the ThunderCats and Lockti were able to pass through. Bol turned to some of his men and told them something. They went back to the ship.

"What's going on?" Lion-O asked Cheetara quietly.

"Bol told his men to return to the ship and pull out their Extractor and something called the doocube." She whispered. The Lord of the ThunderCats raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Whatever it is I hope it helps us with the ThunderKittens." He muttered.

"Lion-O, up ahead the control room door is closed." Panthro said.

"Come on." The lion said. Quickly they rushed to the doors.

"WilyKit? WilyKat? Can you hear us?" Cheetara called.

"I doubt they heard you. Those doors are six inches of reinforced steel." Panthro said. Lynx-O moved to the front of the door and pressed his right ear up against it.

"There is movement from inside. I hear about twenty pairs of feet." The lynx said.

"Let's get this apart." Lion-O placed his fingers in the crack and Panthro did the same again the pulled on the count of three. The doors came slightly apart.

"Again!" Panthro shouted. The two pulled again but the door only moved fractions of an inch leaving but a small six inch gap between the large heavy doors.

"Kit? Kat?" Cheetara called.

"Cheetara! Boy, are we glad to see you." Kit said.

"How are you guys holding up?" The cheetah asked.

"We've got fifteen moderately injured and five slightly injured. The rest of us are basically just dealing with bumps and bruises. How'd you get here so fast?" Kit asked.

"A long story, we'll tell you when we get everything under control." Lion-O said.

"We have to get that door open. With the power off they're going to be breathing in each other's carbon dioxide and this six inch gap won't supply enough clean air for them to breathe properly." Panthro told the Lord of the ThunderCats. Lion-O nodded and wondered,

"Any ideas?" Before they could answer, Cheetara spoke up.

"We have something that will help getting the door open."

"What do you have Sen?" Lion-O asked. The Lockti had one of his men bring a small cube forward.

"This will solve all your problems." Sen smiled as Cheetara translated. Panthro gave a Lion-O a skeptical look.

"Well go ahead." The Lord of the ThunderCats said. Sen moved forward and placed the cube in the gap between the two doors.

"Get everyone back from the doors." Cheetara told them and Cae motioned with his hands.

"Kit, Kat, get everyone back!" Lion-O shouted.

"Right! Give us a few minutes." Kat told them. Five minutes passed and then they heard Kit say all clear. Sen moved and pressed the side and top of the doocube and then he backed up. Everyone watched as the cube expanded and forced the door open. It formed an upside down 'T' and kept the door open with almost six foot tall clearance for someone to walk through. When it was done moving, the ThunderCats and Lockti went through the gap.

Back on Third Earth, Qual had his men using the Extractor on Pumyra. She was taking longer to heal than Tygra and it was making Ben-Gali nervous. The Lockti leader could sense the worry and the tension. He wished he could comfort the white tiger but with their translator off helping the others, Qual could not reach Ben-Gali telepathically. So the alien did the only thing he could do, he placed a reassuring hand on the white tiger's shoulder. At this Ben-Gali smiled and Qual smiled back.

"I appreciate everything you're doing but there has to be a way to talk to you. If only Panthro were here he'd be able to whip something up." Ben-Gali said.

"Any translators we had were destroyed in Cat's Lair. We don't even have anything to modify." Tygra told him. The two tigers thought for a few minutes and then Pumyra spoke up.

"Isn't there any translators at the Tower?" She asked.

"That's true but our vehicles are under the rubble." Tygra pointed out. Ben-Gali was about to say something else when the ground beneath them shook.


	9. Chapter 9

As the ground shook, the Lockti dropped to their knees. Their mouths opened but no sound came out. The ThunderCats realized that the earthquake was causing their new allies immense pain but they didn't know how to help them. The tremor stopped and Qual slowly stood up. He spoke to his men and they quickly headed back to their ships. The ones that were helping Pumyra removed the Extractor and they ran to the almond shaped spaceships.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ben-Gali shouted. Of course he got no answer and watched as the spaceships shot off toward the atmosphere.

"What are we going to do now?" Pumyra asked.

"We have to get to the Tower of Omens and try to contact New Thundera. Ben-Gali, help me see if we can get the ThunderTank out of what the Lockti cleared away. We'll be right back Pumyra." Tygra said. Quickly the two tigers raced to Cat's Lair and looked around.

"We might be able to get the ThunderTank out if it didn't sustain too much damage." Ben-Gali said.

"We have to give it a shot." Tygra nodded. The two crawled in through the gaps in the giant Cat Paw. Luckily there was enough space for both to climb into the driver's section of the ThunderTank.

"Fire it up." Tygra said. Ben-Gali used the controls and soon got the engine to respond.

"Locking traction and sliding protective steel cover into place. All systems go." The white tiger said. Hitting the gas, Ben-Gali plowed the ThunderTank through the space that they had crawled through. Once out in the open he removed the protective cover.

"Boy am I glad Panthro built this thing to handle just about everything." The white tiger smiled.

"So am I. Let's get Pumyra." Tygra said. Ben-Gali cut the engine, popped the back hatch, and the two jumped out of the tank.

"We'll have to carefully lift her into the back." The orange tiger told him. Ben-Gali nodded and carefully grabbed the puma's ankles. Tygra carefully grabbed her shoulders.

"I'm glad they healed my left shoulder before you guys moved me." She smiled. Tygra could tell she was putting up a brave face and he wanted so much to comfort her but they didn't have the time.

"Can you feel my hands?" Ben-Gali asked. Pumyra bit her lip. The truth was that she couldn't but she didn't want them to worry so much.

"Oh is that what is?" She asked. It wasn't a good cover but she had to try. Carefully the two tigers laid her down across the seats in the back of the tank and then they moved to the driver's compartment.

"We'll try to give you as smooth a ride as possible." Ben-Gali called back to her. Pumyra only nodded and the two tigers fired up the ThunderTank.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Mumm-Ra smirked as he watched the scene before him the spell he had set to Third Earth worked. Any minute now the Lockti would call their men on New Thundera and tell them to pull out. There they would float in space until they located their home planet.

"Mumm-Ra, there is a flaw in your plan." The Ancient Spirits of Evil boomed.

"How could there be, oh ancient ones?" He asked.

"The Lockti were traveling back to their home planet after a long and devastating war on one of their allies' planets. They do not know that their home planet of Locktus was obliterated by their allies' enemy. Their tracking sensors were damaged in the war and they have no idea that there is no home to go to. You must find another way to send them away or we will send you away." The Ancient Spirits told him.

"Yes Evil Ones. I will find a way." Mumm-Ra promised.


	10. Chapter 10

Panthro and a few of the Lockti set about fixing the control panels in Cat's Lair on New Thundera while the rest helped the wounded. The injuries varied from cut and lacerations to broken bones.

"We have two broken arms and one broken leg that need immediate attention. Cheetara, can they bring over their Extractor?" Lion-O asked. Quickly, the cheetah relayed the question and received an answer.

"They are bringing it over." She told him.

"Excellent. Panthro how long before you can get the power back up?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wondered.

"I'm going to have to check the levels of Thundrillium and see why it isn't flowing into the power channels." The panther told him.

"Uh about the power supply. Mumm-Ra emptied it before he left." Kit spoke up.

"What?" All the ThunderCats looked at her with the exception of he brother.

"Yeah, he said that we weren't going to be able to ruin his plans this time and he would finish us off later." Kat said in his sister's defense.

"Well I guess we have to get some more Thundrillium." The Lord of the ThunderCats sighed.

"Don't worry, Lion-O. We have our friends to help us." Lynx-O smiled. That's when Cheetara grabbed the side of her head. Quickly Lion-O was at her side. While he was trying to help her, the Lockti listened intently to Cae's shouts. Then in an instant, they grabbed their Extractor and ran out through the control room doors.

"Where are they going?" Lynx-O asked as he could feel the vibrations from the running feet.

"The others have summoned them. They are returning to Third Earth." Cheetara said as she let go of her head. Quickly the ThunderCats raced out of control room and out of Cat's Lair but they were too late. The silver almond shaped ship took off for the atmosphere at an incredibly fast speed.

"Now we're stuck here. The Feliner is back on Third Earth." Cheetara said.

"I haven't finished the engine modifications for the ThunderStrike yet so I guess we are stuck." Panthro said.

"Well then there are only a few things we can do. One, we have to get the sick bay doors open and move all the wounded inside. Next, we have to take the ThunderClaw out and retrieve Thundrillium. Panthro, try to get the control room in working order while the rest of us handle everything else. ThunderCats Ho!" Lion-O told them. Quickly, the group set about their tasks.

On Third Earth, Tygra continued to call New Thundera but was getting no response. He had an unsettled feeling in his stomach about the whole situation.

"Any luck reaching the others?" Ben-Gali asked as he walked into the Tower of Omens' control room.

"I'm not getting a response. How is Pumyra?" The orange tiger asked.

"Well she gave me an argument about being left in her old room but I told her that if she didn't listen to me that I'd be forced to strap her down so she let it go." Ben-Gali told him.

"Sounds like she's feeling almost like her old self. Short of flying to New Thundera in the Feliner, what are we going to do?" Tygra wondered.

"I think we'd better sit tight. We can't leave Pumyra here alone and we can't leave Third Earth alone either." The white tiger said.

"I'll continue to try to contact New Thundera and then we'll come up with a plan." Tygra nodded.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Mumm-Ra stood over his boiling cauldron watching the scene in space unfold. The Lockti were fighting amongst each other, not sure if they should risk their own safety by returning to the ThunderCats on New Thundera and Third Earth. He smiled as he lifted his arms to cast a new spell. Chanting in an ancient language known only to those that have lived for over a thousand years, Mumm-Ra watched as the heavenly bodies moved and to make way for the Lockti's destruction.


	11. Chapter 11

Out in space, Qual took in all the arguments from his men. As their leader, the final decision was his to make but it was one he wouldn't make lightly. Another tremor like that and some of the men wouldn't be so lucky to escape with only minor damage to their sensitive systems. However, their new allies needed them. They were duty bound to their friends and until the tracking sensors were fixed they could not go home anyway. Standing from his chair, he addressed the troops.

 _We cannot leave our friends when they need us. However without a good way of communicating with them, they will not understand why we left. Moc, get to work on a translator or some way of communicating with the ThunderCats on Third Earth._ One of the men interrupted.

 _Sir, we are in great danger if we remain on the planet. Another tremor could…_ Qual didn't let him finish.

 _We have never turned down our allies before and this is no time to start. We cannot go home and because of us our friends do not have a home, so we stay and help them._ Another man interrupted him.

 _Look what helping our allies did the last time! We fought for them and then we were forced out into space with our ships damaged and half of us dead._ Qual turned and confronted the one who spoke out.

_If we are to repair our ships then we will need their help. If we don't help them, we will float in space forever until we are all dead. Do you want that? I am your commanding officer and I have made my decision. Lox radio the second ship and tell them to return to New Thundera. The rest of us are to return to Third Earth._

With that the crew set about doing as they were ordered and that's when the alarm systems inside the ship went off.

 _It's a meteor shower!_ Cried the helmsman

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

On Third Earth,Tygra continued his efforts to reach New Thundera but all he got was static. Ben-Gali fiddled with a translator trying to modify it.

I guess the worst part is that we won't even know if this works until they come back. I'm not a whiz like Panthro or Snarfer." The white tiger said.

" _If_  they come back. The earthquake must have affected them in an awful manner. It's seems hard to imagine that a creature could be so sensitive to their surroundings. I have a sneaking suspicion that the earthquake was anything but natural." Tygra told him.

"I'm with you on that. It had to be Mumm-Ra. I mean when we got here there would have been seismic readings and alerts all over the screens and there was nothing. But could he send a spell all the way over here?" Ben-Gali wondered.

"The last time Lion-O fought Mumm-Ra, he was more powerful than ever before. I think it's safe to say he can do a lot of things he couldn't before." The orange tiger told him and then saw something coming in on the scanners.

Up in her room, Pumyra couldn't stand the fact that she still was having trouble feeling anything. The Extractor had healed up her shoulder and by poking herself she found that she could feel now down to the top of her thighs but no matter what she did she couldn't get her legs to obey any of her commands.

 _Damn it. I can't be lying around while the others need me._ The puma cursed herself. Determined to do something, she sat up, grabbed her legs and forced them over the side of the bed.  _Even if I have to crawl, I'm joining them in the control room._

Things at Cat's Lair on New Thundera were moving along as Lion-O, Cheetara, Lynx-O and Snarfer moved the Thundrillium into the melting room and began to make bars for the power system.

"This is going to take at least another few hours to get enough to fill the tank. In the meantime we're stuck here with our swords hanging out." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"Uh huh well we can help Snarfer make sure the system isn't damaged." Cheetara smirked.

"So far it looks like everything is hunky dory but I won't know until I'm able to turn it on and I can't do that until we have the Thundrillium refined, snarfer, snarfer." The young snarf said.

"Well I'll go check on how Panthro and the others are doing and then come back down here." Lion-O told them.

"Good luck." Cheetara said.

"Yes good luck Lion-O and don't worry. We can handle things down here." Lynx-O smiled. The Lord of the ThunderCats smiled and nodded and then headed upstairs.


	12. Chapter 12

_Battle stations everyone! Take evasive action! Get us to the planet's surface as fast as possible!_  Qual shouted to the men. They raced around the inside of the spaceship and quickly took up their posts. A meteor rocked the ship and the helmsman cried out,

_Our shields can take much more of the beating._

_They'll hold, just get us to Third Earth._ Qual told him. Another meteor shook the space ship and a cry went up from the engine room.

_We've lost thruster four and number three is on its way out._

_Divert all power to thrusters one and two. We have to make it to Third Earth._ Qual ordered. There was no response from the engine room as the ship took another hit.

 _Call the engine room!_  Qual ordered. The helmsman tried to reach them but he never got the chance. The silver almond ship hit Third Earth's atmosphere followed by a large explosion.

Cheetara grabbed her head and let out a loud scream. The immense pain in her head was too much to handle and she passed out. Lynx-O quickly rushed to her side.

"What happened?" Snarfer asked.

"I don't know but I feel a huge disturbance." The lynx said.

"Is she ok?" Snarfer wondered as Lynx-O checked her over. The cheetah's pulse was weak and she was barely breathing.

"Stay here and get the Thundrillium loaded." He told the young snarf as he scooped Cheetara up in his arms. Snarfer was about to object but he never got the chance as Lynx-O was already leaving the room. Despite being blind, Lynx-O knew every inch of Cat's Lair and he would get the cheetah some help.

Halfway up to the sick bay, he ran into Lion-O. The Lord of the ThunderCats had been charging down the ramp.

"The Sword told me that Cheetara's was in trouble. What happened?" The lion asked as he took the unconscious cheetah from Lynx-O. The two quickly started up to the sick bay and the lynx explained what had happened on the way.

Once they reached their destination, Lion-O laid Cheetara down and checked her vitals. Her pulse was still weak and her breathing wasn't much better. Both ThunderCats were unsure of what to do next when the Sword of Omens growled.

On Third Earth, sensors were going off all over the Tower of Omens. Quickly, Tygra pulled up the screens and saw what was happening.

"There are some large objects entering our atmosphere. They look like they're heading for Dark Side." The orange tiger said.

"Can you increase the images? What exactly is entering our atmosphere?" Ben-Gali asked. Tygra zoomed in and the readings came up on the screen.

"Titanium, steel, and rock. Sounds like part of a meteor. Wait a minute, those pieces look familiar." Tygra zoomed in some more.

"It's the Lockti's ships! We have to get over to Dark Side now!"

"Great Jaga! Come on let's get in the ThunderTank." Ben-Gali said. Quickly the two ThunderCats raced down to the hangar and jumped into the tank. The traction locked and the engine fired as the shot off across the desert toward Dark Side.

Back inside the Tower, Pumyra inched toward the control room. She'd heard the alarms go off and she tried to hurry but her hands and arms were aching from pulling herself such a distance. The puma then heard the ThunderTank rev up and she knew there was no way to catch the tigers, so instead she continued to the control room and they would be surprised when they got back.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Mumm-Ra watched the Lockti's ships fall into Third Earth's atmosphere. An evil smirk crossed his lips.

"Two down one to go." He said.


	13. Chapter 13

Bol continued to try to raise the other ships over the communication link but he couldn't get anything but static. Their ship had left the others, just as they had been ordered and everything was fine. What could have happened in that split second that now neither ship answered his calls?

 _Any luck?_ Cae asked.

 _No. What could have happened?_ Bol wondered.

 _Until we hear anything from them, I suggest we keep this from the men. No use in causing any more problems._  His second in command said.

 _You're right. Tell only Sen. Then let's help the ThunderCats._  Bol nodded. Quickly, Cae went off as the commander of the group told the helmsman to land near Cat's Lair.

Inside the ThunderCats' fortress, Panthro could hear engines. Quickly, he raced outside to see the Lockti's ship landing. Unsure of how to greet them, the panther picked up his battle sticks and radioed Lion-O.

"The Lockti are back." He said.

"I'll be out in a minute." Lion-O responded. The Lord of the ThunderCats didn't want to leave Cheetara's side but the only way to help her was to get the use of the Extractor.

"I'll be back soon. WilyKat go down to the power supply room and help Snarfer." That said, Lion-O left to go greet the Lockti.

Panthro stood at the entrance and waited for the one he recognized as Bol to come up. Hopefully they could explain their disappearing act and they could help get Cat's Lair up and running. Bol came up, with the rest of the Lockti in tow, and extended his hand for Panthro to shake it. The panther did so and showed them inside. Lion-O met up with them in the hallway. Quickly he indicated for the group to follow him and they went down to the sick bay.

As they walked into the room, Cheetara suddenly sat up. Lion-O's eyes went wide and he quickly went to her side.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Something happened and I felt immense pain and now all of a sudden it's gone. I don't understand it." She said. Suddenly she cocked her head to the side and listened. There was silence for a few minutes and then she whispered to Lion-O,

"We need to speak in private with Bol. I know what happened."

"So do I. The Sword showed me. Tell him that we can talk outside while his men use the extractor on the injured recruits." He responded quietly. She nodded and did so. Bol made a tight smile and immediately ordered his men to do so.

"Panthro, take WilyKit and have her help you in the control room. Lynx-O go ahead and help Snarfer and WilyKat." The Lord of the ThunderCats ordered. With everyone having their instructions, they could now talk to Bol and not be interrupted.

On Third Earth, Ben-Gali carefully maneuvered the ThunderTank through the Forest of Silence. He wished that they were flying in the ThunderStrike so they didn't have to go through the creepy woods but they didn't have any choice. A few minutes later, the ThunderTank emerged from the forest.

Flames shot forth from the pieces that had fallen to the ground and an unbearable stench met the ThunderCats' nostrils. Tygra forced the bile in his stomach down as he grabbed the gas masks from the ThunderTank. Tossing one to Ben-Gali, the two began the search of the crash site for any survivors. In the back of their heads, they both knew the chances were that all they would fin would be little bone fragments, if they were lucky but they had to try.


	14. Chapter 14

Cheetara relayed the sad news to Bol and the Lockti just stood there trying to absorb everything he was just told.

"Out of the one hundred and fifty that survived the war, we twenty are all that remain. I have no idea how I'm going to tell the men." The cheetah translated for Lion-O.

"I understand if you want to return to your planet. We can…" The Lord of the ThunderCats didn't get to finish.

"Our ships were damaged and our navigational systems don't function properly, we couldn't go home if we wanted to. Qual would have wanted us to finish what we started. We will stay here and help you, then return to Third Earth and help there." Bol told them.

"We appreciate that but you don't need to help on Third Earth. We can have our other friends help there. I bet Panthro can help you fix your navigational systems once he gets the control room up and running." Lion-O said. Just as the words came out of his mouth, the three heard a whirring noise and the lights suddenly came on in the hallway. A crackle came over the nearby wall radio.

"This is WilyKat calling Lion-O. Come in Lion-O." The Lord of the ThunderCats walked over and pressed down the COM button.

"This is Lion-O. I guess you got the power back up." He smiled.

"Yup we did. Snarfer is heading up to the control room to help Panthro and Kit. Is there anything Lynx-O and I can do?" Kat asked.

"Just get up here and help Snarf with the wounded. They'll need a decent meal before they head back to the settlement." The lion told him.

"Gotcha, WilyKat out." The crackling stopped and the connection ended.

"I will need a few minutes with Cae and Sen." Bol said.

"Of course. I'll send them out to talk to you." Lion-O nodded and he and Cheetara went into the sick bay.

"Almost all the recruits are healed, Lion-O." Snarf said.

"Excellent. Do you think you could whip up one of your Third Earth famous stews?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wondered.

"Well if the meat didn't thaw too much and I'm sure I have some fresh Thundera potatoes in the cupboard. I'll need some help though." Snarf told him.

"That's what WilyKat is for. Speak of the devil." Lion-O smirked as Kat walked into the room. Snarf and the second half of the ThunderKittens took off for the kitchen as the lion went over to Cheetara.

"I told Cae and Sen to go out into the hall. I'm afraid the others suspect something but I didn't say anything." She said.

"Well Bol will have to handle that in the meantime I have to thank you for everything." Lion-O smiled.

"I'm just doing my job." The cheetah gave him a questioning look.

"Using your sixth sense like that has to be draining and I just want you to know how much I appreciate your self sacrifice." He said. Cheetara's face lit up as she smiled.

"Anything for you." She replied. Before Lion-O could say anything she walked away. Pondering what she meant, he caught himself staring at her round tush. Quickly he shook his head and began going around the room meeting all the wounded recruits and thanking them for their help.

Twenty minutes later, Panthro walked into the sick bay. He was smiling and obviously very proud of himself.

"The control room is up and running and I just received a message from Snarf that dinner is almost ready." The panther said. Lion-O walked up to him and shook his hand.

"Excellent news. After dinner do you think you could help the Lockti fix their navigational system?" The lion asked.

"It's broken? How did they find Third Earth then?" Panthro wondered.

"Apparently, the coordinates they had for the home planet were locked onto our coordinates. Something went screwy and every time the enter the right numbers, the ship goes to the wrong place." Lion-O explained.

"How are they taking the news?" The mechanic asked.

"So far it's been pretty silent. I'm going to try to contact Third Earth and see if they have any good news." The Lord of the ThunderCats told him. Both knew in the back of their minds that there wouldn't be any good news but they had to hope


	15. Chapter 15

Tygra and Ben-Gali were still shifting through the wreckage when they heard a loud beeping noise from the ThunderTank. Quickly both tigers ran to the Tank, pulled off their gas masks, and picked up the call.

"Who is this?" Ben-Gali asked.

"It's me, listen Lion-O is calling from New Thundera and I'm patching him through." Pumyra told them and then connected the call. The white tiger looked at his orange brother in confusion. However, the Lord of the ThunderCats' voice quickly brought them around.

"Tygra, Ben-Gali, do you guys have anything to report?"

"Lion-O there isn't much left of the two ships. We haven't found anything that would indicate remains. Whatever didn't immediately incinerate upon entering the atmosphere was smashed into millions of pieces when it landed." Tygra said.

"Not even bone fragments?" Lion-O asked.

"No, just twisted, melted metal and lots of dirt." Ben-Gali told him.

"All right. Run one more sweep of the entire area and then get back to the Tower. We're coming over there as soon as Panthro fixes their navigational system. Radio us when you have returned to the Tower, I want to know how Pumyra is doing." The lion said.

"Will do, ThunderTank over and out." The tigers signed off. Ben-Gali looked at Tygra and asked,

"How did Pumyra get up to the control room?"

"The sooner we get the final sweep done, the sooner we get back to the Tower of Omens to find out. Come on, if we don't hurry it'll get dark and then we'll be in trouble." Tygra said as he pulled on his mask. Ben-Gali nodded and pulled his back on. He hoped that the little bit of treatment that she had gotten had finally worked.

At the Tower of Omens, Pumyra rubbed her sore arms. She would pay for that in the morning but luckily she had been there to get Lion-O's call. Ben-Gali and Tygra had raced out of there so quickly that they didn't have anyone manning the radio. Closing her eyes, she focused on breathing slowly in and out and tried to summon the will to make her legs to move.

Back on New Thundera, Mumm-Ra watched the pictures in his bubbling cauldron. He scowled at the thought of the ThunderCats being so kind as to remove the remaining Lockti out of his reach.

"Mumm-Ra we are getting impatient. Your window of opportunity is shrinking." The Ancient Spirits of Evil's voices bounced off the pyramid's walls.

"They will not escape me, oh Ancient Ones." He tried to assure them.

"If they leave this planet and you haven't destroyed them, there will be no second opportunity. We will end you and bring forth our new champion." The large animal god statues told him. Mumm-Ra was about to say something when they zapped him.

"GO!" The Ancient Spirits of Evil boomed. Quickly the mummy had them transform him and then he flew out of the pyramid. It would be his undoing if the ThunderCats and Lockti weren't destroyed. His only hope now was that he could catch them off guard and get to Lion-O. With the Lord of the ThunderCats out of the way, it would be easy to get rid of the rest of the ThunderCats. The Lockti didn't pose much of a threat either. He would win the day and save his skin.

Lion-O sat in Cat's Lair's control room, waiting for Third Earth to radio in. With the outer defenses still melted and not enough daylight left to fix them, he hoped that the ThunderCats could manage. They had always gotten by in tough scrapes before and now would be no different. That's when he heard the alarm go off.


	16. Chapter 16

Ben-Gali and Tygra raced up to the Tower of Omens' control room to find Pumyra sitting in the command chair.

"How did you get up here?" They both asked at the same time.

"We'll talk about that later. I've been trying to raise New Thundera and they aren't responding." The puma told them.

"They couldn't have lost power again. Something bad is going on." Ben-Gali said.

"Well we're six to seven hours away, what are we going to do?" Pumyra wondered.

" ** _We're_**  not doing anything. Ben-Gali and I are going to get to the Feliner and fly to New Thundera." Tygra said.

"I think we should stay here. We have no idea if the meteors that brought the Lockti's ships are still out there. It would be committing suicide to try to weave the Feliner through that mess." Ben-Gali told them.

"You're right. We won't be any good to the others if we're dead. Contact the settlement on New Thundera and see if they know what's going on." His orange brother nodded. Pumyra punched a sequence of buttons and spoke into the comm.

"Third Earth calling New Thundera. Come in New Thundera."

"New Thundera here. How may I assist you Third Earth?" A familiar voice came over the line.

"Theo is that you?" The puma asked.

"I thought you sounded familiar Pumyra. What's up?" He asked.

"We can't reach Cat's Lair. What's going on?" Pumyra wondered.

"All I know is that a bunch of recruits were heading up there. Lion-O said something about a Mumm-Ra, whatever that is." Theo said.

"Mumm-Ra?!" The puma practically shouted into the comm.

"Yowch! Careful, I have to use these later." He said referring to his ears.

"Call me as soon as you know more." Pumyra quickly ended the conversation and turned to the tigers.

"Well any ideas?"

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

On New Thundera, Lion-O grappled with Mumm-Ra. The mummy had come back to finish the job but the ThunderCats weren't about to let that happen.

"Why don't you go back to the rock you crawled out from underneath?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wondered as he ducked the latest energy blast from Mumm-Ra.

"Look who's talking." The mummy said.

"Is that the best you can do?" Lion-O laughed as he raised the Sword of Omens and shouted,

"HOOOOOO!" A large blue energy blast shot forth from the mighty sword and it struck Mumm-Ra in the chest. The mummy howled in pain and then shot back. His blast caught Lion-O in the arm and he growled.

"Lion-O!" Cheetara called out as she raced over to him. She quickly extended her bo-staff and jumped in between Lion-O and his foe.

"How cute. The female wants to protect the cub. That'll be the death of you." Mumm-Ra stuck his hands out in front of him and began to chant in an ancient language. Cheetara didn't wait for him to finish as she used her staff to smack him upside the head. This gave Lion-O enough time to stand up straight.

"HOOOOOO!" He shouted again. The energy blast missed the mummy and he laughed. That's when they heard,

"CHARGE!" Panthro, the rest of the ThunderCats, and sixty recruits raced up the steps of Cat's Lair. From the entrance to the stronghold burst the remaining Lockti.

"Seems you are surrounded, Mumm-Ra. Give up while you still can." Lion-O smirked.

"Ah but you seem to be forgetting who you are dealing with." The mummy scowled and raised his hands into the sky and shouted,

"Spirits of Darkness, aid your humble servant by bringing forth another champion. Bring forth Grune the Destroyer!" Lightening split the sky and the charging beings stopped as they watched the ThunderCat traitor land in front of Lion-O.

"So we meet again, Lord of the ThunderCats." Grune used his usual snide tone and raised his battle club.

"Give it your best shot." Lion-O said as he swung the Sword of Omens at his new opponent.

"Get Mumm-Ra!" Panthro shouted to the troops. The recruits stormed at the mummy and the Lockti listened to Cheetara. Mumm-Ra realized that he could not defeat almost a hundred people by himself. Without the Mutants there were too many to handle and Grune would be fighting with Lion-O. Then an idea popped into the mummy's head. This was the perfect opportunity.


	17. Chapter 17

Mumm-Ra jumped into the air to escape the swarm of people attacking him and flew towards the Lord of the ThunderCats.

"Lion-O! Look out!" Cheetara shouted. The lion saw Mumm-Ra and realized what a pickle he was in. If he attacked one, the other would strike at him. Lion-O summoned all his inner strength and made his decision.

Quickly the mob turned on a dime and headed toward the Lord of the ThunderCats to help him but they couldn't move as fast as a cheetah. She whipped out in front of the group and saw that Lion-O spun to hit Mumm-Ra with the Sword of Omens. Grune aimed his club at the lion's back and in a split second she made her decision.

The Sword of Omens sent an energy blast that caught Mumm-Ra in the face. Lion-O fully expected to feel Grune's battle club on his back and he braced himself for impact. A few seconds passed before he realized that he didn't feel anything. Quickly he turned around and saw Cheetara lying on the ground.

Panthro was fighting with Grune and the recruits helped to beat the traitor back until he could be subdued. Mumm-Ra screamed in pain and flew off back to his pyramid leaving his evil cohort to suffer. With that the fight was over.

Lion-O kneeled down next to the cheetah as she struggled to breathe. She had caught Grune's club in the chest. Blood seeped out of the wounds left by the spikes of the weapon.

"I need help!" He yelled. Bol raced over to see what happened. Upon seeing the cheetah's wounds he called to his men to get the Extractor. The ThunderKittens, Lynx-O, and Panthro rushed over to see what was going on.

"Sweet Jaga." Panthro's words were barely audible to the lion as he tried to stop Cheetara's bleeding.

"Hang on, they're bringing the Extractor. Please hang on." She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.

"Whatever it is you can tell me later. They're almost here." Lion-O tried to contain himself. None of his team members had ever been hurt this badly and he couldn't let anything happen to her. Especially not her, there had been things he'd wanted to say to her and damn it he was going to get that chance.

"Lion-O they're here. Let go so they can help her." This time the panther's words reached his ears and he let go. Bol quickly had his men apply the Extractor to the critically wounded cheetah. The machine whirred and beeped as the ThunderCats held their breath.

"She got what she deserved!" Grune shouted from his incapacitated position. These words caught the ThunderCats attention. Lion-O tore his attention away from Cheetara and pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield. He slammed his feet on the concrete beneath him and the recruits allowed him through until he was right up in Grune's face. The tip of the Sword of Omens was touching the traitor's nose.

"Do you want to repeat that?" Lion-O growled.

"She got what she deserved." Grune said without hesitation. The Lord of the ThunderCats pressed the tip further into the traitor's nose and drew blood.

"You can't do it." He said.

"You are a traitor. An offense that is punishable by death. As Lord of the ThunderCats, I can carry out that punishment. I will cut you down, like the dog you are." Lion-O's eyes burned with an intensity not seen before.

"Don't do anything you regret." Panthro was at his side.

"There is nothing I would regret." The lion's mind was made up.

"Lion-O." His name floated to his ears. The voice was one he would never forget.

"You will pay for what you've done make no mistake." He told the captive. The lion then turned on his heels and returned to Cheetara.

"Lion-O, Panthro is right." She whispered to him when he got down on his knees next to her.

"Just don't let him hear you say that." He smiled and she smiled back. Lion-O stood up and addressed the troops.

"Cheetara is going to be ok." A cheer went up from ThunderCats and Thunderians alike. The Lockti beamed smiles and carefully helped the cheetah off the ground.

"Now, I want the prisoner transported to the cells in Cat's Lair. Then all recruits are dismissed. Your service was greatly appreciated and you should expect a nice surprise in the coming days." Lion-O told them.

"Sir, yes sir!" The recruits answered and quickly went about their task. The ThunderCats turned to the Lockti and the group went inside.

Ten minutes later, the ThunderCats were doing the tasks that needed to be done while Lion-O sat with Cheetara in the sick bay.

"I've been yelled at to take it easy for a couple of days. Bol says that the treatment worked correctly but since I had a near-death experience, bed-rest is best." She said.

"That's going to be tough considering the fact that we planned on taking the Lockti to Third Earth tomorrow and then letting them return home. Someone has to translate." He smiled.

"I guess things are going to get pushed back." The cheetah replied.

"I want to thank you again. That seems to be all I'm doing lately. You translate and saved my life. Is there anything you can't do?" The lion tried to make her laugh. All he succeeded in doing was getting her to roll her eyes.

"Didn't Panthro tell you? I'm a woman of many talents. I can do anything." They both smiled at this.

"What were you trying to say to me before the brought the Extractor?" Lion-O asked. At this Cheetara paused.

"I… I…" the words were on the tip of her tongue but she just couldn't bring herself to say them.

"I wanted to tell you not to worry. I was going to be all right."

"Oh. Well I'd better let you get some rest." Was all Lion-O said as he got up and left the room. Cheetara cursed herself for not coming out and saying the words she so desperately wanted to say.


	18. Chapter 18

A few days had passed and now the ThunderCats made their way back to Third Earth with the remaining Lockti. Panthro had managed to fix their navigation system but the coordinates for their home planet turned up nothing resembling a planet. Still the Lockti wanted to travel towards the destination in search of some answers.

The group disembarked from the sliver almond shaped ship and found a surprise. Not only were their ThunderCats to greet them but also the Berbils.

"What's going on?" Lion-O asked.

"We have volunteered to help rebuild Cat's Lair." Ro-Bear Bill stepped forward to greet the Lord of the ThunderCats.

"Thank you very much Ro-Bear Bill. I'd like you to meet our new allies the Lockti. This is their leader Bol." The lion introduced the two.

"It is very nice to meet you." Cheetara translated for the Lockti's leader. They shook hands.

"We'll get started now, if that is all right." Ro-Bear Bill said.

"By all means and thank you again." Lion-O shook the head Berbil's hand and then the furry mechanical teddy bears got to work.

"Pumyra, did you get better by yourself?" Cheetara went over to her friend and gave her a hug.

"I'm afraid not." The puma made a face. That's when Bol spoke up and Cheetara listened carefully.

"Bol says he'll fix that in a jiffy." The cheetah smiled. Three of the Lockti came forth with the Extractor and quickly got to work.

"That may take fifteen to twenty blasknots (roughly eleven and a quarter to fifteen minutes) but she should be fine. My men and I would like to visit the site of the crash." Bol spoke through Cheetara.

"I understand. Panthro, Tygra, and Cheetara will take you out there. Or do you want to wait for your men to finish healing Pumyra?" Lion-O asked.

"I think we will wait that way when we have given our final respects we can head for where home should be." Bol told him. The Lord of the ThunderCats nodded in understanding.

Ben-Gali held onto Pumyra's hand as the Extractor worked it's magic. She was very grateful that he was there and she couldn't help but think off all the things they had been through together. They had stayed with Lynx-O despite his insistence for them to leave him, they had protected their friends before the Berserkers attacked, and they had stood tall in the face of danger against the Mutants, Lunatacs, Mumm-Ra, and countless other villains. Somehow the puma didn't think she could have done it without Ben-Gali despite her own capabilities. A feeling in her legs suddenly shifted her attention.

"Ow!" Pumyra cried out as Ben-Gali had poked her legs.

"You felt that?" The white tiger asked.

"Of course I felt that. I…" she paused and her mind processed the words that had just come out of her mouth.

"I felt that!" She shouted as the Lockti removed the Extractor. Without thinking she jumped up and wrapped her arms around Ben-Gali's neck. Next thing the white tiger knew his lips were being occupied. Just as suddenly as it had happened, he found them empty again.

"I… uh…" Pumyra began to stutter but she never got the chance to finish, as it was her turn to find her lips occupied.  
Everyone was watching what was going on and finally Lion-O cleared his throat and the two separated.

"Looks like somebody won't be lonely tonight." Panthro smirked and Cheetara laughed at his comment. Again Lion-O cleared his throat but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

"Pumyra and Ben-Gali, I'll have to talk to you later but for now stay with the Berbils and make sure that if they need any help, that they get it. The rest of us are off to Dark Side." The Lord of the ThunderCats said. The two nodded and quickly went off to do as they were told.

It wasn't long before the Lockti's ship and the ThunderTank arrived Dark Side. The ship had to take the long way around and the ThunderTank went through the Forest of Silence. Everyone disembarked and stood before the remains of the ships.

"This is all that is left?" Bol wondered as he looked at the mass of twisted wreckage.

"I'm afraid so." Tygra told them.

"Were there any remains?" The Lockti leader asked.

"We couldn't find any. Most of what was in the interior of the ship was destroyed. There are only these pieces of hull." Tygra said slowly. It was the kind of truth that no one wanted to say but it had to be said. Bol turned to his men and they went back aboard the ship. Lion-O looked to Panthro, Cheetara, and Tygra for an explanation. They shrugged their shoulders and watched as the twenty men came back out of the ship in two lines of ten. They all wore white coats that came to their waists with medals pinned on them. Seven of them carried long weapons that appeared to be some sort of blaster. Cheetara edged closer to Lion-O so she could do any translating that would be required. Bol separated from his men and they flanked him on both sides.

"Today we leave behind our friends, comrades, and countrymen. They fought hard to free our allies and protect our homeland. They gave their lives in an effort to help our new friends. We will never forget them as long as we have breath in our bodies.

"Qual was a fearless leader and we would have followed him into hell and back. He wasn't just an officer but a good and loyal friend. We will miss you. It is my hope to carry your legacy home and let everyone know of your selfless deeds." Bol then let Cae take over. The second in command turned to the men and gave an order.

"Ten hut!" The twenty men immediately stood at attention.

"Arms at the ready!" Cae commanded. The seven men carrying the guns lifted them to their shoulders, the barrels pointed toward the sky.

"Salute!" Twelve arms went up and held their hands titled at an angle almost touching their foreheads in salute. Seven weapons fired their first shot.

BLAM! They loud noise surprised the ThunderCats as the weapons were again brought up and fired.

BLAM!

BLAM! With that last shot, the weapons were held until the command was given. The twelve men finished off the salute and lowered their arms.

"Shoulder weapons!" Cae told them. All was quiet until a loud humming noise could be heard. A sad unfamiliar melody came from the Lockti as the ceremony drew to a close. When the song was over, Bol gave Cae a command for everyone to get on the ship and prepare for the long journey back to where their home planet should have been.

"Thank you ThunderCats. We hope to find our home and I will make sure that our comrades will be remembered." Bol said shaking the Lord of the ThunderCats' hand.

"Should you not find what you're looking for know that there is a home for you on either Third Earth or New Thundera." Lion-O told him.

"I appreciate the offer and will keep it in mind." Then the Lockti leader backed up and saluted the lion. Lion-O placed his arms across his chest and said,

"Farewell." Cheetara, Panthro, and Tygra followed suit. Bol then turned and boarded his ship. They four ThunderCats watched as it zoomed off into space.

"They very well could be the last of their kind." Tygra said.

"Yes, they could be. It is a very lonely existence. We were lucky to find other Thunderians." Panthro nodded. With that, the ThunderCats piled into the ThunderTank and headed back to Cat's Lair.


	19. Epilogue

Mumm-Ra stood before the Ancient Spirits of Evil awaiting his punishment. To his surprise they had pulled Grune out of his cell at Cat's Lair shortly before the ThunderCats had left for New Thundera. Currently only Lynx-O, the ThunderKittens, and the two Snarves remained at the fortress.

"You had your opportunity and you once again failed us." The Spirits sounded very displeased.

"I tried oh Ancient Ones but I was vastly outnumbered." Mumm-Ra tried any excuse he could think of.

"You have always been outnumbered and we find it a pitiful excuse for someone as powerful as you." They told him. This was the moment the mummy feared.

"However we saw the display of Grune and we have come to the conclusion that you are still our best champion. We will give you another chance." The Ancient Spirits of Evil delivered their sentence.

"You won't be sorry, Ancient Ones, I promise." The ever-living source of evil said as he entered his sarcophagus.

"You won't be sorry."

**The End**


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